An estimated 2 to 10 percent of U.S. children affected by peanut allergies will not grow out of the potentially life-threatening allergy, and they have no known treatment at their disposal. But a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University have identified specific gene markers associated with the condition, and say their findings may offer a basis for future detection and medication.

For the past two decades food allergies have been on the rise, compelling researchers to conduct studies on candidate, or suspect, genes involved in predicting food allergies. Previous research has indicated that 10 genes are associated with food allergies. However, until now, no large-scale genomic...